A former Tuscaloosa Police sergeant accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on duty two years ago was sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison.

Jason Glen Thomas, 35, was sentenced in in U.S. Federal Court in Birmingham Tuesday.

He pleaded guilty in April to violating the civil rights of a woman in his custody.

According to court documents and investigator statements at the time, Thomas stopped the pedestrian without placing her under arrest shortly after midnight on May 27, 2011.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentence in a press release sent from Washington D.C. Tuesday afternoon.

“Officers who sexually assault individuals in their custody defy the public trust bestowed upon law enforcement officials, and their actions will not be tolerated,” Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division stated in the release.

A civil suit filed by the victim earlier this year is still pending in federal court.

Thomas, an 11-year veteran of the Tuscaloosa Police Department, saw the 42-year-old woman walking along Alabama Highway 216 at 1 a.m. on March 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson said in a 2011 news conference.

Thomas stopped and gave her a ride to a home on Keenes Mill Road, Anderson said. The woman later called 911 and reported that the officer stopped the patrol car and sexually assaulted her on the side of the road, outside the patrol car, the police chief said.

He denied the accusations during three initial interviews, but eventually confessed to investigators, according to court documents.

Thomas was represented by Birmingham attorney Tommy Spina and Tuscaloosa attorney Joel Sogol. His attorneys requested a sentence of two to two and a half years.

Government attorneys requested the 10-year sentence, which was granted. He will remain on supervised release after the prison term and will pay a $100 fine.

“The defendant used his authority as a law enforcement officer to satisfy his sexual desires and, in doing so, greatly impacted the life of another.”
Thomas’ attorneys submitted 13 letters from friends, family and former colleagues from the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

“Jason was a very well-respected policeman, a dedicated hard worker and a great family man,” one officer wrote. “Jason has since kept a job, and is trying to move on with his life and be a contributing member of society. I personally know that he is truly sorry for what he has done, and if he had the ability to go back, would not make the same decision.”